Retail Watchers

The Fred Meyer checkstands remind me most of a model Safeway used in the mid 80s known as a "tri belt" checkstand. The positioning of the register/keyboard and cashier was identical. I have been in some recently remodeled FM units and they are still using these checkstands. I have never se...

That is a very strange looking cashier unload checkstand. Does it have two sets of bags, one for the cashier then one out on the end for the bagger? The cashier unload checkstands used at Raleys have just one set of bags down at the end of the belt and this is what is used by whoever is bagging (cas...

There have been a lot of rumors that LLC will buy some of the SVU Stores. I'm not sure if they are just good rumors or what. It appears as if SVU is in the process of imploding though.

I don't expect LLC to launch any formats though.

They've tried low prices a number of times but can't seem to get it. None of the major chains seem to get how to do low prices, except Kroger in certain markets. Even Kroger's pricing is pretty spotty. I bought a national brand grocery item at KR yesterday that I needed but I felt the price was high...

I always found it laughable when the express lanes had those odd "half sized" belts. Usually the belt was so short it could only fit one or two baskets. Raleys has express lanes like that and I've seen them in some Safeways too. Those small express lanes also had little room on the cashier...

Those Fred Meyer checkstands are the same ones I've noticed ever since I first encountered Fred Meyer in the early 90s. Most Kroger divisions use a checkstand identical to what Safeway uses. QFC is an exception with cashier unload used to enhance the "service" to the customer. The Fred Mey...

Well, the stores are now sold off to Associated and Associated has made immediate changes. This is sure different than when Save Mart took Albertsons stores over. The marketing materials in their videos look a lot better than anything I've ever seen at Save Mart, and the website they have set up for...

Alum Rock was a great location but it was a real dump. I suspect that store needed investment and PW was not the best use of that space and probably didn't really know how to serve that type of a customer either. A Grocery Outlet would be more fit. There was no room to do much of anything on the per...

It appears they also closed:

1421 Foxworthy San Jose

2277 Alum Rock Road San Jose (wasn't this their original)?

This was a very nice store, however, I am not real surprised. I never saw much customer traffic in this store and I was in it quite a few times. The fresh areas always looked very good, which is unusual for a low volume store. The prepared food operation was the best I've seen and tasted in any supe...